“Sixty Days and Counting,” by Kim Stanley Robinson (Bantam, 416 pages, $25)
Kim Stanley Robinson brings his “Science in the Capitol” trilogy to a fine close in “Sixty Days and Counting.” After the grim floods and deep freezes of earlier volumes, President Phil Chase has ambitious plans for his first 60 days. This despite a world that is sometimes brought to a halt by power failures and shortages.
Chase begins rebuilding a government torn apart by his predecessor and puts his science advisers in prominent positions. A rush of proposals ranging from solar energy to creating huge salt water seas in the Sahara desert are considered. But none of these are going to produce a miracle in 60 days.
Frank Vanderwal is still living a sketchy personal life. He has left his tree house in the park to share a room with an aged guru at the Khembali Embassy. His mysterious spy girlfriend has vanished again but her husband seems to be stalking Frank. He knows his judgment has become questionable and seeks a doctor to determine the extent of his brain damage.
Charlie Quibler and his wife and sons provide the steady counterpoint to Frank’s life on the edge. Charlie was Chase’s adviser as senator and quit to be a a fulltime dad. He goes back to work, worried about placing his rambunctious younger son in day care. He feels there is something wrong with the boy. His Buddhist friends believe Charlie’s son is a reincarnated holy man.
Throughout the series Robinson has created deep characters with a focus on their lives as they work to save the world. Robinson tackles global warming with incredible power and intelligence. His political optimism seems the one place where his imagination may be outracing reality.
“The Elysium Commission,” by L.E. Modesitt Jr. (Tor, 336 pages, $24.95)
L.E. Modesitt Jr.’s science fiction detective novel, “The Elysium Commission,” tackles the problem of information retrieval.
Blaine Donner is an investigator looking for information hidden in a world full of information. His calm exterior hides a number of secrets. He is haunted by his past as a special agent in the military. He wanders bad neighborhoods at night, stopping crimes the police don’t see.
A number of his cases become entwined in a plot that could undermine the planet or maybe the whole universe. A mysterious client wants him to link an industrialist, an inventor and the word “elysium.” An aristocrat wants him to investigate the non-aristocrat engaged to her daughter. An inventor wants him to check out possible patent infringement. And, several unusual missing persons jobs demand his attention.
His computer searches always fall short. Blaine must find out what he needs to know the old-fashioned way – by seeking out well-connected friends.
Blaine soon learns that someone powerful is trying to stop him. In the end, he will need all of his military skills. “The Elysium Commission” builds a big story from small steps while Modesitt starts from the ground up to build the strong sense of place necessary to a detective novel.
Fred Cleaver is a freelancer who writes a monthly column on new science fiction.
